Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon - who celebrate their one-year anniversary in May - are prepping for parenthood: They bought a dog.

"I got her a short-haired Jack Russell terrier -- a girl, named Cha-Cha. She's 8 weeks," Cannon, 28, told Usmagazine.com Saturday at a concert in Coconut Grove, Fla.

He and Carey, 39, secretly wed in Eleuthera in the Bahamas last spring.

Cannon said being married to Carey is "the most amazing thing ever. I couldn't wish for anything else. She's the most incredible woman. Being in a strong union and being there for each other is something that I'd never really experienced before, so to experience it with my wife is remarkable. We're together as one, and that's important to me."

He was mum on their anniversary plans, but told Us, "We never went on a honeymoon, so I guess I can tell you we'll probably go to Barbados."

Asked if there are any babies in the near future, he laughed.

Don't miss the world video premiere of The-Dream's "My Love" featuring Mariah TODAY on MTV!

Be sure to tune in to MTV all day TODAY to catch their exclusive video premiere of "My Love"! The video, which was shot last month in Los Angeles and directed byNick Cannon, will premiere exclusively throughout the day on MTV, MTV2, MTV Hits, MTV Jams, MTVU and MTV.com.

This hot collaboration which Billboard Magazine called the “sump- tuous love anthem for couples this spring” is from The-Dream's sophomore album Love vs. Money and available to download on iTunes now!

The-Dream and Mariah previously collaborated on Mariah's # 1 his single "Touch My Body" and are currently working together again on new songs for Mariah's next album.

THE songwriter and R&B singer Terius Nash has worn $2,000 worth of rolled-up bills on a chain around his neck, but he would like to cultivate a much more expensive habit.

“Mariah Carey took me up in her private jet last week,” said Mr. Nash, who records under the name The-Dream. “It was like: Ooooooh! I’ve got to get me one of these. Because now that I’ve got a taste, I’m never going back. I’m going to fly this thing everywhere — to L.A., to Atlanta, to New York. I’m going to fly this thing down the street and park it outside your apartment.”

He and his songwriting partner, Christopher Stewart, known as Tricky, are one of pop’s most inventive and in-demand hit-making teams. (Mr. Stewart writes the music, Mr. Nash the lyrics.) Over the past year they have composed more than 200 songs, working with artists as diverse as Usher, Jesse McCartney, Sting and Celine Dion, at a rate of $110,000 to $165,000 per track, Mr. Stewart said. But while Mr. Nash is one of pop’s most reliable hit makers, he’s not yet a pop star. When the Grammy nominations for 2009 were announ- ced, he was upset that his solo work was overlooked.

“Even though in my mind I know I should have beat everyone, I also know that some people missed the first album,” he said. “So now it’s about marketing. Now I’ve got the Mariahs and the Kanyes and the Jamie Foxxes of the world saying, ‘I’ve seen The-Dream write four hit songs in 40 minutes.’ Soon the pop world will be like, ‘O.K., we see you now.’ ”

With "Love vs. Money" he's ready to do whatever it takes to make himself a boldface name. He has been showing up at parties with the R&B singer Christina Milian, sparking rumors that they are dating. He also upped the star power on the new album with cameos by Kanye West, Lil Jon and Ms. Carey, who also appears in the video for "My Love."

If for some reason the new album isn't a hit, his day job isn't too shabby. He's currently working with Ms. Carey on her next album, and he has just finished an album for the new R&B girl group Electrik Red, which will be released on his Radio Killa imprint this month. And Mr. Nash said he and Mr. West have talked about doing a collaborative album in the spirit of R. Kelly and Jay-Z's "Best of Both Worlds."

Nick Cannon dished to The Boots Girls Thursday night at Chicago’s Underground for owner Billy Dec’s blog party for BillyDec.com about his life with Mariah Carey and their plans to have children in the future.

Boots Girls: So, Mariah’s not getting any beatings any time soon?
Nick Cannon: Never, she’s beating me up. You all are going to see me all lumped up one day.

BG: So, I heard that Mariah was going to make an appearance on America’s Go Talent?
NC: That was a lie. I don’t know who made that up. People said that is the reason why I got the job. People just make some stuff up in the press.

BG: Are you trying to trick us… or maybe surprise us?
NC: I swear. That’s one thing, I never lie about anything. If you look in the history of all of my interviews, if I say something it’s usually true. But yeah, I don’t know who made that up. That’s a weird rumor too. I mean she might come to a show or two in the back, but I doubt you will see her sitting next to somebody’s grandma in the audience.

BG: And onto your personal life. There’s been a lot of rumors going on… pregnancy rumors. Can you fill me in?
NC: Oh no. More lies.

BG: Do you see kids in your future?
NC: I hope to see kids in my future. I mean that’s the whole purpose of starting a family and getting married and all that stuff. If you’re saying like right now, nah, not right now.

BG: So, it’s not in your near future?
NC: The press was saying that we were at fertility clinics. I’m just saying all my stuff is working very well. I don’t need that!

Nick is one cool cat! It’s always a pleasure for us to interview him!

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon have given up their house hunt in California's San Fernando Valley - because they're desperate to start a family over the hill in Los Angeles.

The thoughtful couple has been looking at schools as well as man- sions, after deciding that Carey's native New York was no place to raise a child.

But, two weeks after Carey splashed out over $200,000 on furniture at Beverly Hills' trendy Kreiss store, she and her husband are still looking for a home to put it all in.

An insider tells WENN, "They still don't have a house yet, but they do have an interior designer helping them make their choice and they've ruled out buying a place in the Valley.

"I don't believe Mariah is pregnant yet but she and Nick are talking about having children and they want their kids to go to school in Los Angeles." Carey certainly doesn't look pregnant, but onlookers spotted her declining alcohol during a recent business lunch with Cannon and advisors, while her husband sipped beer.

One diner at the restaurant the pop star chose for the luncheon says, "She drank ice tea. Maybe she just wanted to keep a clear head. She certainly didn't look pregnant." Meanwhile, a new report in U.S. magazine In Touch Weekly suggests Carey, 39, has been paying visits to a Beverly Hills fertility expert.

She and Cannon were spotted holding hands and laughing as they left the Southern California Reproductive Center on 19 February (09).

Both Carey and Cannon, who wed last April (08), have spoken about their family plans, with actor/rapper Cannon hoping for a big family.
He recently said, "Maybe we'll have as many (kids) as the Octo-mom." A source tells the publication, "Mariah has always wanted a baby."

Nick Cannon lent his deejaying skills Thursday night at Chicago hot spot Underground, where club owner Billy Dec celebrated the launch of his new blog.

Before spinning tracks from Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco, Nick dished on fellow musicians Chris Brown and Michael Jackson and, of course, wife Mariah Carey.

The America's Got Talent host stayed mum regarding any big plans for his one year anniversary to Mariah Carey, (the two married April 30), but did take the time to clear up the longstanding rumors that he and Mariah were expecting a baby.

"I mean we're gonna let nature take its course, we're just enjoying each other right now and whatever happens happens."

Adding that Mariah is not currently pregnant Nick said, "It's one of those things where you don't really plan for those types of things. It's family, it's love. Of course that's what we want and when it happens it's gonna happen. Am I having sex? And that's usually how it happens right?"

Cannon ended the night with a crowd-pleasing tune none other than Mariah Carey's "Sweet Fantasy."

MY LOVE
THE-DREAM FEATURING MARIAH CAREY
Producer: Los Da Maestro
Label: Radio Killa/Def Jam

Since the mega-success of Rihanna's "Umbrella" in 2007, the-Dream has retained the writing/production Midas touch on the Billboard Hot 100, scoring some of the biggest singles of the past few years (Beyonce's "Single Ladies [Put a Ring on It]," Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body"). While he has logged four solo top 10 R&B hits, major crossover success has eluded him thus far. How- ever, the second single "My Love," from his sophomore album, "Love vs. Money" (March 10), may rewrite the history books. Atop a finger-snappin' midtempo groove, the-Dream plays Romeo in a relationship others would like to see fail: "Endless love I always provide/They hatin' on us and you should know why." The extra boost comes from Carey, who sings as if she relates wholeheartedly to the lyric, giving a gutsy, husky performance at the climax. It's a sumptuous love anthem for couples this spring. --Chris Williams

Mariah Carey is not pregnant, thank you. She is working on her new CD with producer-writer The Dream, however, with whom she’s already had a couple of number 1 singles.

The album will follow last year’s hit, E=MC2, on which The Dream — aka Terius Nash — produced her hit, “Touch My Body” and “My Love.” For those of you don’t completely get it (myself included) these producers have nicknames like The Dream. They also write a lot of very melodic pop music. Mariah’s in good hands.

There’s a lot more going on in Carey’s life these days although she is not—not- pregnant. We laughed about all those “baby bump” pictures that appear in tabloids week after week. Carey seems pretty sanguine about enjoying the conceiving process with new husband, Nick Cannon.

Cannon, by the way, tells me he’s not giving up acting to host “America’s Got Talent.” “The opportunity came up and I thought it would be fun,” he said. Nick is a gifted actor – check him out in the movie “Bobby” from 2006 — and is young enough to take some detours along the way.

Nick isn’t the only member of the Carey-Cannon family to get into reality TV. Mariah says, perhaps only half-joking, that her Jack Russell terrier, named Jack, may also get his own show. Jack is often referred to as Mariah’s ‘real baby.’ He even stars in his own home videos on YouTube. “It will all about our lives seen through his eyes,” the pop star said. Stranger things have happened.

A bigger question right now, aside from all this baby and dog talk, is who is managing Carey. She and Benny Medina parted ways amicably last year. Medina turned up an Oscar party with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and may be getting back into the management game with them. (Medina is credited for Lopez’s major successes.)

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon were spotted leaving a Beverly Hills office building. Were M & N visiting a fertility clinic?!

Rumor has Mariah, 38, and Nick, 28, were visiting a pre-natal specialist, and they used a decoy limo in an attempt to throw off the paps!

The two have been fighting pregnancy rumors for months, but at the Sundance Film Festival in January, the lovebirds revealed to "Extra" they weren't too sure about babies. Mariah said, "We don't know!" and Nick added, "Yeah, we'll let nature take its course!"

Mariah and Nick tied the knot in April 2008.

More speculation today surrounds the whereabouts of Precious (née Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire), the celebrated, Benjamin Bratt-terrifying drama that won last month's Sundance Film Festival before tumbling into bidding-war lawsuit limbo.

We'd really hoped this one would be visiting your neighborhood sooner than later. Alas, Precious, featuring Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, lauded newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, and Mo'Nique in a career-defining performance as an abusive mother from hell, quietly disappeared this week from its prestigious closing-night slot at New York's New Directors/New Films festival. Sources point to the studio's open-ended legal standoff with Harvey Weinstein as a serious threat to seeing a deglammed, mustachioed Carey back on the big screen any time soon.

It's probably the most significant such drama since 2005, when Fox Searchlight jacked Jason Reitman's Toronto Film Festival hit Thank You For Smoking from the dozing Paramount Vantage. And in any event, it's a 180-degree reversal from Precious's trajectory out of Park City, where news of a big-time deal with Lionsgate, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey accompanied its Grand Jury Prize. That wasn't the only accompaniment, however; The Weinstein Company soon intervened, claiming that they had a deal to release the film domestically. Breach-of-contract suits and countersuits followed — none of which are yet resolved, we hear, indefinitely postponing Precious's appearance anywhere outside Sundance.

Meanwhile, a Lionsgate representative told us this morning that the film is on track for a fall release. Here's hoping; Harvey shouldn't go hogging all the awards-season fun.

Mariah Carey has reportedly been lined up to make a special guest appearance on America's Got Talent.

According to In Touch, the singer was enlisted by husband Nick Cannon, who was recently unveiled as the new host of the NBC reality show.

"Mariah is a superstar and rarely does TV appearances, but this is for her husband," ContactMusic quotes an unnamed source as telling the magazine.

Carey has been slated to join returning judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and David Hasselhoff for a one-off episode later this year.

The insider added: "In addition to her stint as a guest judge, she's even planning on being a regular in the audience."

Cannon will replace departing host Jerry Springer, who announced earlier this month that he was stepping down to focus on other commitments.

The world maybe suffering from the recession crisis but the same doesn’t seem to affect the pop star Mariah Carey. She bought over $200,000 worth of chairs, sofas and furnishings during a four-hour shop at a trendy Melrose Avenue store on Thursday (19Feb09).

The singer and her entourage closed down Kreiss Showrooms so she could shop in peace with husband Nick Cannon and top interior designer Kenneth Bordewick. A source tells WENN that Carey bought a host of top items from the Kreiss Collection, including contemporary chairs and sofas from the company's Gatsby range.

And it seems the Hero singer is set on giving her new home a taste of old Hollywood, picking out stylish items in beige and taupe with dark wood frames in rosewood and mahogany.

One insider says, "It was like a raid - the shop was closed down and her huge minders stood guard at the door. Mariah clearly knew what she wanted, but took her time making sure she got the right matches and designs. She has terrific taste. They looked very much in love and she looked great."

You have to admit it was a shocker when Mariah Carey’s hubby Nick Cannon bagged the job to replace Jerry Springer as the host of America’s Got Talent. Well I hear that Miss Carey had a lot to do with Nick being hired. A source close to the show reveals: “Mariah was determined to get Nick a big job in Hollywood - and she wasn’t hiding about it. She was running around town touting his talents and trying her hardest to get him a gig on a big show. It helped that Mariah performed on X-Factor in the UK at the end of last year and got talking to the shows producer Simon Cowell after filming ended. She mentioned Nick would be a talented host. Simon had him audition and he was perfect.”

But Simon Cowell also had another person in the frame - So You Think You Can Dance host Cat Deeley. The star also auditioned too for the role on America’s Got Talent but when it came down to the decision making they went for Nick - as Cat couldn’t commit to the show because of her involvement on the dance show. A source adds: “Simon still likes the idea of working with Cat Deeley on one of his shows in the future.”

Sandy Gallin hosted a star-studded dinner for Hugh Jackman at his newly built Bel-Air pad. And here, you would never have known the country is in the worst recession in decades. The house itself is 16,000 square feet, with seven bedrooms, and a swimming pool that measures 150 feet long. The bookshelves, completed almost seconds before the party, required their own decorator.

Seen milling about were Mariah Carey, Harvey Weinstein, Rupert and Wendi Murdoch, Donna Karan, Barbra Streisand and David Geffen.

“It was supposed to be, like, 10 people,” said Gallin, “but then I invited 10 people, and they started inviting people and by today, I was receiving phone calls from people asking if they could come.”

Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King made the mistake of saving the house tour until after dessert, and discovered at the end of their expedition that all the other guests had left. “Are we the last ones here?” Winfrey asked.

Mariah Carey has known her share of controversy over her markedly up-and-down career (currently on an upturn thanks to a successful album and a role in the critically lauded film "Precious"), and she's never been one afraid to share her opinion on matters. However, one topic had her clamming up on the red carpet at the In- dependent Spirit Awards on Saturday (February 21) - when asked what she made of the Chris Brown/ Rihanna situation that is dominating the news at the moment, she was unequivocal: "No, absolutely no comment," she told MTV News.

Carey was much more loose-lipped when it came to talking about her much-heralded next acting project, "Precious," the story of a teenage girl living in Harlem. Walking the carpet alongside director Lee Daniels, Carey gushed that she was "just honored to be a part of it. It's really something that's so strong and different and I think that it's really going to enlighten a lot of people and help a lot of people." Carey plays a social worker in the film with comedian Mo'Nique and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe.

"Precious" debuted at Sundance and quickly became the talk of Park City, eventually earning the Grand Jury and Audience awards. The film marks a change for Carey, whose career on the big screen has been lackluster at best. Clearly, neither "Glitter" nor "Wise Girls" was feted at the Independent Spirit Awards - though the former did earn attention from the Razzies for what it's worth, garnering five nominations.

Carey lamented that she missed the big Sundance moment for "Precious" (at the time titled "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire") at the award ceremony in Utah in January. "I wasn't able to be there for when he won all the awards," she said before playfully being interrupted by Daniels. "Where was she?" he mocked the singer. "Obama was more important," he laughed, referring to Carey's trip to the inauguration that interfered with the Sundance festivities.

Clearly proud of the film and all its early success, Carey called the acclaim "great, because I know how much [Daniels] put into the film. And all of us who participated in the movie, we feel so attached to this."

"Precious" has been picked up for distribution by Lionsgate and will be released later this year.

Beyonce looked beautiful [yesterday, during the Grey Goosy Party at Cecconi's restaurant]. Grey knit cap loosely arranged over wavy hair, fresh face, very low key. But the best...the best is when B ran into Mimi.

Mariah Carey and her husband were inside the private dining room. As she was leaving she stopped to exchange pleasantries with Beyonce. The entire restaurant suddenly had to take a smoke break to watch. Fascinating.

At one point both their lips were moving at the same time. And they were nodding and occasionally one would touch the other's arm, all while talking over each other. Amazing.

Even better? While this was going on, Nick Cannon was ordered to stand behind his wife, chatting with a random, waiting waiting waiting, holding on to her coat. Waiting, still waiting, for 15 minutes he's waiting waiting waiting. Mimi smiles patronisingly at Beyonce, Beyonce earnestly continues yapping, Mimi keeps yapping, Mimi then decides it's time to leave, and Nick helps her exit the area. She puts her coat on, she seems inordinately chatty, she's stopped by this person and another person and she's the queen now, knowing everyone is watching, and Nick's kinda holding on to her elbow as she cheek kisses a dude who is desperate to get in there and then finally she totters past us as her security rushes through the foyer surrounding her and ushering her into the car.

We almost died when she made a point of stopping to adjust her hair just as she lifted her leg to get up into the SUV.

And then it was like the entire place deflated.

Jennifer Aniston was not with John Mayer to- night (Feb. 20), at least not while she enjoyed dinner with three friends during another Grey Goose night at Cecconi's restaurant in West Hollywood. A table away from the former Friends star was Gwen Stefani and hubby Gavin Ross- dale with a gaggle of pals, including American Idol creator Simon Fuller. In the back of the eatery, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon joined a large group of people, including Laurence Fishburne and NBC honcho Ben Silverman.

Supplement: Grey Goose vodka is hosting a series of pre-Academy Awards parties at Cecconi's right now, also to celebrate the restau- rant's opening week. The events will furthermore benefit RAAD, a road safety charity. The picture shows Mariah and Nick with fashion designer Ozwald Boateng.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell recalls his memorable spring training debut.

His first camp came in 1998 with the Yankees. He wasn't in awe of Yogi Berra or Reggie Jackson. What blew him away was Derek Jeter's girlfriend.

"I'm just a guy working out and 10 feet away Jeter is hanging around with Mariah Carey," Lowell said. "Seeing her was pretty cool. People of that stature don't usually come around the minor league parks."

Lowell got to look from afar, but that was about it. "We didn't talk shop or anything," he said. "We didn't hang out. She just kind of appeared there."

Lowell was dating his future wife at the time, so that was the closest he ever got to a starlet. "I keep telling Pamela Anderson to stop calling me," he joked, "but she won't listen."

60-year-old Stevie Nicks, front singer of British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac, is a friend and inspiration to other younger musi- cians, including Vanessa Carlton, Michelle Branch and Mariah Carey.

"When Mariah Carey was going through all her craziness a few years ago, I wrote her a long letter telling her how everybody else is crazy -- not her," she told Rolling Stone. "I saw her recently, and she told me she keeps the letter with her jewelry! I love that."

With Oprah Winfrey as a role model, Tyler Perry is looking to grow his empire, recently launching 34th Street Prods. to help bring films he loves to his loyal audience -- including the Sundance hit Push: Based on the Novel By Sapphire. He recently sat down in the spacious, minimalist living room of his Hollywood Hills home to chat with THR's Matthew Belloni and Stephen Galloway.

THR: Why did you and Oprah Winfrey decide to put your names behind "Push"?
Perry: (Lionsgate execs) called me from Sundance. They brought it to me and I watched it and I called Oprah and said, "You've got to watch this film," and she said, "I've got it, I've had it for a month." So she watched it and then we were like, "What can we do to make this film get to an audience?" Mo'Nique should win the Academy Award. Mariah Carey is so freakin' great in this movie and she is unrecognizable.

THR: Is it Lionsgate's film or could it possibly go to the Weinstein Co.?
Perry: It's Lionsgate's film. 34th Street has a first-look deal with them. There are two brains at work here. There is 34th Street that is going to do more of these "Push" kind of movies, more artistic kinds of things that people don't expect me to do. Then there is the Tyler Perry-branded movie that is specifically branded as simple stories, funny, family, faith-based, no incredible plot twists. It is very important to me to show children what a whole family unit looks like. If you see the worst of what a man can be, as I did growing up, you can also see the best a man can be.

The-Dream spoke exclusively to Rap-Up.com about his involvement with Mariah Carey’s twelfth studio album, tentatively titled MC3.

“We’re working on M.C. stuff…incredible!” said the “Rockin’ That Thang” singer. “We’ve got seven songs already; it’s been like two weeks. We’re just moving right along, so hopefully she’ll just put the single out there in the next couple of months.”

The-Dream and producer Tricky Stewart have already written and produced the bulk of Carey’s follow-up to last year’s chart-topper E=MC². A release date for the new album has not been set, but the first single will likely be crafted by the hitmaking duo, who were also responsible for “Touch My Body.”

Independent movies are getting crushed right now. Will they survive?

The hottest film to emerge from this year's Sundance Film Festival is such an uncommercial movie that even the festival's program- ming director didn't think it was going to sell.

Push: Based On The Novel By Sapphire, is the story of an abused, illiterate African-American high school girl who is pregnant with her second child by her father. There are no stars aside from cameos by Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey.

Yet the movie is now at the center of a well-documented legal battle between Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company. Harvey Weinstein claims his company had a verbal deal with the film's representatives to distribute the movie, but it ultimately went to Lionsgate for a reported $5.5 million.

Why spend money on lawyers to fight over a movie that the L.A. Times called "nightmarish" and The New York Times called "grim to a level that many film executives say they have rarely seen on film"? Because it was only the third film in Sundance history to win both the jury prize and the audience prize for best drama at the January festival, a rare Sundance feat. That makes it as close to a sure thing as exists at the festival level. And at $5.5 million, it's half the price Focus Features paid for 2008's festival hit Hamlet 2, which earned only $5 million at the box office.

In today's tough economic climate studios want sure things, not risks. "No one's going to buy a film they don't think they can make money off of," says John Cooper, Sundance's programming head.

That's going to be especially true in the coming year. Right now the independent film world is still digesting a glut of movies financed during the easy-money era of the past three years.

For a while, Wall Street loved Hollywood, throwing cash at almost any decent filmmaker who asked for financing. That led to too many films fighting for attention. In 2000 there were 373 films released in the U.S. Last year that number was 604, but the number of tickets sold was still the same.

Claireece "Precious" Jones
"Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire"

If there were a T-shirt emblazoned with "Precious Jones Is My Hero," we'd buy it in a heartbeat. The protagonist of Lee Daniels' adaptation of the poet Sapphire's 1996 novel - about abuse, illiteracy, and the fierce and magical energy of words - is a hero of going forward. Daniels, a magical realist himself, says he slept with the book under his pillow, so it could infuse his dreams and then his waking life with its hard wisdom, its dark knowing. But newcomer Gabourey Sidibe's indelible teen is not the only character suggesting the reach of this rough and jubilant film into a diversity of lives. The variety of characters captures the richness of the "American" in "African-American."

When Precious' social worker (played by Mariah Carey with powerful reserve) is asked pointedly about her racial makeup, it's a knowing- ly funny scene on two levels. First, it reminds audiences that even black folk believe they learn something absolute when they ask that question. They don't. Second: because that query dogged hit- maker Carey, especially in her early years. Is she black? Is she white? What's the deal?

Director Daniels and Precious Jones move us forward by resisting some of the old questions and posing new ones.

Michael? Nope. Magic? Not quite. Mariah? Definitely.

Though Michael Jordan was his idol and Magic Johnson is the player he is often compared to, neither made the biggest All-Star impression on LeBron James.

"My favorite All-Star memory was seeing Mariah Carey in the Michael Jordan jersey dress," James said Saturday. "Was that Atlanta? Yeah, that's my favorite memory of All-Star weekend. Whew!"

James was a high school senior in Akron, Ohio in 2003 when that performance took place. During a tribute to Jordan, who was playing in his final All-Star game, Carey sang while wearing tight-fitting dresses patterned after Jordan's Chicago and Washington jerseys.

(...) Lee Daniels' Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winner "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire" will bookend the 39th edition of New Directors/New Films, it was announced today by Rajendra Roy, chief curator of film at The Museum of Modern Art and Richard Pena, program director at The Film Society of Lincoln Center. [It] joins 24 other films representing 20 countries, in a program "dedicated to the discovery and support of emerging directors." The films will screen in their New York premieres or, in some cases, their United States and world premieres. New Directors/ New Films 2009 will be held at the MoMA and The Film Society of Lincoln Center from March 25 - April 5.

Lee Daniels’s Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winner “Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire” will also be showcased as the series’s first-ever Closing Night feature. The much-discussed drama chronicles the world of Precious Jones, an overweight, functionally illiterate, lonesome teenager pregnant with a second child by her own father. Daniels, working with a script by Damien Paul and an extraordinary cast led by Gabourey Sidibe and including Mo’Nique, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, and Paula Patton.

The complete public schedule for New Directors/New Films 2009 will be announced in early March. Tickets will go on sale Friday, March 13. They will be at The Film Society of Lincoln Center, MoMA, and online at filmlinc.com. Press screenings will take place March 2 through 20. Dates and times to be announced.

Want a peek at your favorite celebrity's playlist? How about the chance to own an autographed copy of his or her iPod? Now, thanks to socially conscious Tonic.com, you can vie for one. Starting today, fans can register for an iPod auction series on eBay; 100% of the revenue goes to Music Rising, which replaces instruments that musicians lost in Hurricane Katrina.

More than 70 notables, as diverse as Bill Clinton, Warren Buffett, Ellen DeGeneres and Scarlett Johansson, signed over iPods preloa- ded with 10 to 20 favorite tunes.

The first week's participants are Mariah Carey (who chose Da Brat, Kanye West and the Notorious B.I.G.), Faith Hill (husband Tim McGraw and Mary J. Blige), Pete Wentz (Bob Marley, ABBA) and Gwen Stefani (Peter Gabriel, Prince). Bid now!

• This year's Grammys parties, downsized because of the economy, made for more intimate affairs -- and tighter guest lists (...) The merriment continued after Sunday's telecast. Robin Thicke sang some soul inside the Woodstock-themed official Grammy celebra- tion at the L.A. Convention Center. As some performers ate fire, guests had the option to feast on the far more appetizing Shanghai lobster at the Wolfgang Puck-catered hippie haven. And over at the chef's Beverly Hills steakhouse, host L.A. Reid's House of Hype/ Island Def Jam soiree brought out Mariah Carey, Duffy, Lionel Richie, Grammy-winning collaborators Estelle and (blink-and-you'd- miss-him) West. (The Envelope)

• To your right, find a yearbook picture from 1987 of Mariah Carey, from the exhibit "Growing Up on Long Island" from February 14 through October 25, 2009, at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook. (Newsday)

• It’s the thought that counts more than ever this year, and savvy shoppers will find Valentine’s Day gifts in all price ranges at more than 4900 neigh- borhood Rite Aid stores nationwide, e.g. Rite Aid offers top designer fragrances including Elizabeth Arden Red Door and Mediterranean, White Diamonds and Mariah Carey, with trial and mini sizes of others. (Business Wire)

• Mariah Carey, Mo’Nique and director Lee Daniels talk about their new movie, Push. Watch their interview with Access Hollywood here.

• Bridgehampton's Stone Meadow Farm, which Mariah Carey rented for a week for $125,000 last summer, has undergone a $5 million price cut. It's now listed at just under $15 million. (Page Six)

• The Santa Clara women's volleyball team - Of course, it's "how hard you've worked in practice to prepare yourself that determines how you will play in the game, not whether you are wearing the same socks or hairstyle," says middle blocker Tanya Schmidt. That said, the Broncos have a pregame routine of belting out Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in the team room, she says. "One player would pretend to be Mariah, three would be backup dancers behind her, and the rest of us would act like really excited concert goers, cheering them on." (SFGate)

Duffy wants to sound like Mariah Carey.

The Welsh singer, whose retro tones won her Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammy Awards on Sunday (08.02.09), reportedly intends to explore a more modern sound now she has established herself on the world's music scene.

A source told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "She is keen to ex- plore a Mariah or Christina Aguilera style of album. On the next record Duffy can afford to be a bit more experimental now that she is assured her position as a singing force to be reckoned with.

"Duffy and the team around her are very aware at how successful she has been by channelling a 60s vibe, but they are already starting to think about the second album."

The 'Mercy' singer has returned to the UK to start rehearsing for the forthcoming BRIT Awards- presented by Kylie Minogue, and 'Gavin and Stacey' actors James Corden and Matthew Horne at Earl's Court on February 18.

The 24-year-old blonde star is up for British Female, British Album, British Single and British Breakthrough Act.

Nick Cannon isn't short on talent, and now Talent isn't short on Nick Cannon.

Mariah Carey's mister has signed on to replace Jerry Springer as the new host of America's Got Talent, NBC announced today.

The 28-year-old will join returning judges Sharon Osbourne, David Hasselhoff and Piers Morgan in the Simon Cowell-conceived reality show when it returns for its fourth season this summer.

"I'm thrilled to be working with NBC," Cannon said, adding that network brass "understand my vision as not only an entertainer but as a creative show producer."

"I look forward to working with the network and their executive team on America's Got Talent and other shows to come."

Cannon becomes the third emcee, following in the footsteps of sea- son one's Regis Philbin and Springer, who announced last week that commitments to his talk show and a forthcoming stage role pre- cluded him from returning for another season.

As for Mr. Carey, he does have previous hosting experience under his belt, having manned four seasons of his titular MTV showcase, Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out, since 2005.

Congratulations to Nick on his new engagement! Mimi must be very proud of you, man..

After waking to discover that Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’s “Raising Sand” had won the Grammy for Best Album of the Year at last night’s award ceremony, my eleven-year-old son said, “You know, I really like Led Zeppelin and I’m sure that Robert Plant made a good record, but I think that there are other records that both kids and adults liked, like maybe Coldplay or Lil Wayne.” At which point, I handed him the keys to my office and hustled myself down to the unemployment office.

I mean, that’s what we want from a Grammy, right? An award that acknowledges whatever dominated the year’s conversation and converted people who don’t care much about pop. By that measure, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’s modest, intelligent album “Raising Sand” almost qualifies. The idiosyncratic collection of covers, produced by T-Bone Burnett and perversely filed by Billboard as “Country,” has sold over a million copies and been warmly reviewed. But I doubt very many people under thirty bought the record, and I would be surprised to find anyone under twenty with the album on their hard drive. This is the same fight the Grammys fight every year—an aging voting bloc tries to grapple with an industry driven largely by music of, and by, the young. The results are almost always schizophrenic, and the fifty-first edition was no different, though it found new strangeness to replace the old awkwardness.

The old awkwardness is often summed up by pointing to the 1989 award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental. Nineteen-eighty-nine was the first time the Grammys had recog- nized heavy metal, an embarrassing enough delay. Much worse was the fact that the first metal award went to Jethro Tull’s “Crest of a Knave,” a non-metal album by a non-metal band. (Metallica won last night, for the sixth time. They were kind of upset about losing in 1989. Hopefully they’re O.K. now.) The Grammys have eliminated most of those categorical confusions but is still stranded, like a junior senator, between constituencies. Why else would Alison Krauss have twenty-six awards, more than any other female artist in history? Krauss is certainly capable of being an affecting singer, but she hasn’t inspired any sea changes. If Grammys reflected sales, then Mariah Carey would have ninety, and if the Grammys reflected influence, Alanis Morissette and Lauryn Hill would each have thirty. The Grammy goes to the middleman (who records a lot, let it be noted in Krauss’s defense), who doesn’t scare off a voting popu- lation that skews old. There’s your twenty-six, a little like your five hundred and thirty-eight.

Sony Music Entertainment Presents 'My Mariah Ballad' - A Viral e-card That Gives Fans the Chance to Sing Their Own Version of a Ballad and Send It to Their Sweetheart

Sony Music Entertainment is giving Mariah Carey fans the oppor- tunity to sing their own version of a Mariah ballad and send it to their friends and family in the form of a Valentine's Day e-card.

Starting now, fans can go to MyMariahBallad.com to create a special Valentine's Day card with a personal recorded message. Using one of Mariah's hit ballads 'Dreamlover,' 'Vision of Love,' or 'Hero' fans can then sing the ballad themselves or use the original version sung by Mariah. The ballad along with a personal message is then embedded into an animated e-card which can be sent virally to friends and family in time for Valentine's Day.

Sony's Commercial Music Group created a similar interactive e-card to celebrate the release of the "Elvis Duets" CD. The site, SingWithTheKing.com, which allowed fans to sing a Christmas duet with Elvis, had over 200K visitors in December and over 40 thousand people recorded their own duet to send virally.

Mariah Carey's recent CD release The Ballads features 18 chart- topping hits including nine #1 fan favorites like: 'Hero,' 'Vision of Love,' 'One Sweet Day (Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men)' and 'Dream- lover.'

Mariah Carey has sold over 200 million albums worldwide. She made her recording debut in 1990 with Columbia Records, becoming the first recording artist to have her first five singles top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

38 year old Mariah Carey has found her new husband, Nick Cannon, 28, to be the best accessory she's found in a long time.

Forget the Prada and Louis Vuitton, Nick is handsome and enjoys everything about songstress wife, but these things could erode their relationship, according to In Touch.

"I've got the most gorgeous wife in the world. I want to keep her, so I've got to hit the gym." Cannon said.

Prior to falling in love and marrying Mariah in the Bahamas after a 6 week relationship in April 2008, Cannon was engaged to Victoria Secret model, Selita Ebanks. They called off their engagement in October 2007.

A source told the magazine, "Mariah treats Nick like her little boy toy. I saw her literally toss him her coat so she could go do inter- views."

Nick is so entranced by her, he had her name tattooed on his back shortly after their Caribbean nuptials and doesn't mind being referred to as "Mr. Carey." He told the tabloid, "I make fun of me all the time. I'm like, 'call me Mr. Carey, who cares?'"

Dr. Patricia Farrell, who doesn't treat Cannon or Carey, said, "Nick needs to develop his own identity for this marriage to be healthy. People who are close tend to mirror each other, but you reach a certain point where it's too much. He's probably smothering her and
eventually she will become angry. It's like you are being swallowed alive."

Mariah recently released The Ballads, a compilation CD that debuted in #10 on the US Billboard 200 and the fourth compilation that Carey has released in her musical career. Nick is executive producer for the MTV show Wild 'N Out and has had some success as a rapper and a DJ.